Earlier this month, the Central Valley Conference passed a new rule eliminating pure freshman level teams beginning with winter sports and replacing them with freshman and sophomore teams. Also, this year – for the first time – coaches have the ability to call up and send down athletes during league play; a varsity coach could call up a JV player for a few games and then send them back to JV later in the season. 

As an athlete I feel like this rule is absolutely ridiculous and makes each level really unfair. How would you feel if you made a varsity team yet struggle a bit and then, bam you get sent down to JV. That would make me feel defeated and horrible. 

Once you make a team you should get to stay on it, unless you get called up to the higher level.

Another horrible new rule is the frosh/soph team, which will cause problems for the sophomores. Since most sophomores would make the JV team, any sophomore on the frosh/soph team would be separated from their friends and peers in their grade. That could lead to them being made fun of for not being good enough, or make kids want to give up.

This could really bad for the freshman as well because they will be playing against bigger, faster, and stronger sophomores, who they will have to compete for playtime with. It is just unfair all around.

The only people that this rule can benefit is the coaches, because it increases flexibility with their roster, even if it hurts the players in the long run. 

Sure the teams will be a lot better, but its hurting their athletes. Juniors and sophomores that are playing on JV and frosh/soph, respectively, will feel like they are playing down and get discouraged, and they will be separated from kids in their grade. 

If you ask me the old system worked great and there was no reason to change. The only thing that was bad was the lack of ability to call up and send down athletes, which could have been addressed by itself; There was no point to create the frosh/soph team.

The only area where this rule is somewhat ok is how athletes can be pulled up to the higher level at any time. This new rule is doing a lot more damage than good. I have also talked to other students and they completely agree that rule is horrible it’s not fair to the athletes.